Back in October, 1988, a few days before Gilroy voters went to
the polls to vote on Measure Q which would tie the city to binding
arbitration in police and fire negotiations, we wrote:
Back in October, 1988, a few days before Gilroy voters went to the polls to vote on Measure Q which would tie the city to binding arbitration in police and fire negotiations, we wrote:
“… the central issue voters must consider is: Should an outside arbitrator be handed the power to decide what’s best for the city of Gilroy?
“The answer is no.
“As imperfect and flawed as the police and firefighters think the present system is, it is imminently preferable to the outside shackles and potential nightmares possible under a binding arbitration system.”
Binding arbitration didn’t seem like a good idea then. Now we know it’s an unmitigated financial disaster that threatens the solvency of the city of Gilroy and greedily funnels money away from the general welfare and into the personal pockets of firefighters and police.
In Gilroy, the residents and the City Council treat our city’s police officers and firefighters with due respect and value. Compensation packages are generous and working conditions are progressive:
n Consider the city’s commitment to staff all engines with firefighter/paramedics.
n Witness the purchase of a state-of-the-art $650,000 fire engine.
n Note the largest public works building project in Gilroy history, a $27 million-plus new police station.
n Acknowledge the horse training facility solely for police officer use at Christmas Hill Park.
Given the current economic reality and the genuine good will that the city has repeatedly demonstrated with regard to public safety employees, it is astounding what the firefighter’s union leadership has demanded of Gilroy residents. Firefighters want:
n The “3 at 50” program, which allows retirement at age 50 with 90 percent of salary (a 10.5 percent increase in current compensation, according to officials);
n an additional post-retirement cash benefit of $200 per month, with an increase to $300 in July.
n wage increases of 2, 3, and 4 percent, respectively, by 2007;
n fully paid health-care premiums for Kaiser and Delta dental;
The demands are as stunning as they are greedy.
In response, City Council members, keenly aware of the financial burden this would create, have indicated that they will ask Gilroy voters to rescind binding arbitration. That’s a tough decision, but it’s exactly the right one.
Residents should prepare for a barrage of emotional arguments on behalf of binding arbitration. One letter writer last week even went so far as to use the tragic death of a North County firefighter in a bargaining debate.
Yes, firefighters and police officers put themselves in harm’s way. Yes, for that they deserve our respect, gratitude and support. But that does not mean Gilroy should mortgage its future and the general welfare to support lavish retirement programs – regardless of what other cities do or do not have in comparison. If firefighters and/or police officers would rather work in Lodi or Los Angeles, so be it. Frankly, we think Gilroy’s a great place to live and work.
In 1988, we concluded:
“Measure Q isn’t a vote on whether or not the community embraces police and firefighters as good citizens who perform an invaluable service to Gilroy. Measure Q is a vote on who should have the power to manage city affairs.
“The power should remain in the hands of the city council, not an outside arbitrator.
“No on Measure Q.”
That power needs to return to the people via their elected representatives. Put binding arbitration on the ballot. Gilroyans will do the right thing this time and rescind it.
